UCLA's “ Science and Food " public lecture series returns this spring for another round of talks and demonstrations featuring leading chefs and food scientists. The public events, similar to Harvard's " Science and Cooking " lecture series, are presented in conjunction with UCLA life scientist Amy Rowat 's undergraduate course, "Science and Food: The Physical and Molecular Origins of What We Eat," in hopes of introducing food science to the general public. "The public events," says Rowat, "promote the public understanding of science through food, and food through science.

Fast food begets a fast-food culture that has seeped into pretty much everything going on in the world today, the chef Alice Waters told a crowd gathered at UCLA for a presentation about edible education. Fast food, Waters said, affects our laws, rituals and “ways of doing things”; and it permeates business, journalism, architecture and how we treat one another. Royce Hall was nearly full Thursday evening with, among others, school cafeteria workers, master gardeners, public health students and teachers and fans of Waters.

The waitress removed the plate. The fact that it was still full did not seem to distress her. "Ooh," she said as she bore it away, "is that pasta?" I told her it was calamari . She nodded. "I looked down at it when I picked it up from the kitchen," she said, "and there were these little feet--you know, the tentacles--waving in the air. And I thought, like, how can people eat that stuff?"

SACRAMENTO -- Proposition 37, the genetically engineered food labeling initiative, was trailing badly late on election day. With just over a fifth of the statewide votes counted, the measure was losing with 42.7% yes to 57.3% no. It was polling strongly ahead five weeks ago but fell steadily in the polls under a barrage of negative campaign television advertisements funded by a food and biotech industry war chest of more than $44 million....

Up to half of the food produced worldwide never makes it into a consumer's mouth, according to a new report. That's as much as 2 billion tons of grub that's wasted, according to a study released Thursday by Britain's Institution of Mechanical Engineers (hat tip to the Guardian ). Part of the problem is in the supply chain, in which inefficient agricultural practices, inadequate infrastructure, limited transportation options and poor storage capacity lead to squandered harvests and misused land, water and energy resources, according to researchers.

California voters roundly defeated Proposition 37, the genetically engineered foods labeling initiative, after being subjected to a prolonged barrage of negative television advertisements and criticism from newspaper editorial boards. With 100% of California precincts reporting, the ballot measure, backed by the organic foods industry and consumer groups, went down, opposed by 53.1% of voters and supported by 46.9%. "California voters clearly saw through Proposition 37 and rejected higher food costs, more lawsuits and more bureaucracy," said Henry I. Miller, a research fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution think tank and a key spokesman for the No campaign on its television spots.

If you read only one food story today (not that I'm advising that), you absolutely must read Andy Greenwald's brilliant piece on food television on Grantland . Not only is it a smart analysis of how the genre has devolved from Julia and Jacques to Rachael and Guy, but it's studded with enough laugh-out-loud lines to make any ordinary writer's year. Emeril Lagasse was “A lumbering, rump roast of a man who cooked like Paul Prudhomme but talked like the Gorton's Fisherman.” (Now he's “a Wookie in winter.”)

Penny-pinching travelers are spending less on food and drinks, and some hotels are responding by putting an end to traditional room service. Others are working harder to entice their guests' taste buds. New York Hilton Midtown, the biggest hotel in New York City (it has nearly 2,000 rooms), announced plans to eliminate room service starting this summer. In its place, the hotel will offer a cafeteria-type restaurant where guests can grab quick meals like pizza and sandwiches. “Hotels are thinking of retooling to make the food offerings more limited,” said Bruce Baltin, senior vice president at hospitality consulting firm PKF Consulting.

Planning a Super Bowl party and wondering how to lay out the spread? Get creative and build a stadium out of food! It takes a little planning, but a food stadium can be loads of fun to build, and you can scale it to suit the size of your party. Planning a large crowd? Build a massive stadium with all sorts of snacks, simple main dishes, and even desserts. If you're limiting the gang, have fun stacking a few items around a favorite dip or spread. PHOTOS: Tips for building your own food football stadium In the video at the top, I describe how to build a stadium of snacks for the big game (and deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock walks you through an amazing game day cocktail)